It's dusty in here!

So if the lack of posting has told you anything, it's that being a working mommy doesn't leave much time for blogging!

So let me bring you up to speed on everything that has happened in the last, oh, 4 months. Samuel is now mobile. A little. He rolls everywhere. He is so funny! We lay him on his belly, and he takes off! He 's trying to crawl, but he can't seem to put it together. He gets his knees bent underneath him, or his arms straightened out with his palms on the floor, but doing the two together seems to confound him. He's not sitting up yet, but he's getting better at it. He can't quite keep his balance. He's transitioned into some solids. He gets 3 baby foods per day along with his bottles. So far, his favorite is peaches! Still sleeping all night - 7 to 7. Don't be jealous :o)

He had a checkup on August 9, and he weighed in at 8lbs 9oz and 26.5 inches long (my little linebacker!). He's laughing a lot more - which is the sweetest sound I've ever heard! I love to make him laugh.

His eczema is definitely showing improvement. At the age of about 2 months, (about the time I began going back to work) he developed some very bad eczema all over his body. Some days it would be weeping, and other days it would just crack and start bleeding. We tried everything - Cerave lotion, Aveeno Eczema cream, Gentle Naturals baby wash and lotion, as well as Aquaphor (which helped a lot, but not entirely). We began to explore the possibility that his diet could be playing a role. I did a lot of research on the topic and, after speaking to Sam's pediatrician, we stopped giving him Similac Advanced and switched him to Similac Sensitive. I also took away any grains he was eating. We originally started him eating rice cereal or oatmeal with breakfast and dinner. But with the eczema getting worse, we made the decision to pull grains and most lactose from his diet. The Similac Sensitive has something like 1/500th of the lactose that the Advanced has. Thus far, his face has gone from red and weeping to a little red and smooth. I've also begun to use pure aloe on his cheek, and I'm seeing a major difference. He doesn't scratch at his face nearly as much, and it doesn't bleed anymore; in fact, it's not open at all like it used to be. We are going to give it about another week and then began adding grains back in to his diet. The plan is that if the eczema gets bad again, we will know that there may be a grain sensitivity; however, it there is no worsening, then we'll know there is a lactose sensitivity. Either way, I'm glad we've taken this step. Samuel seems a lot more comfortable now - he's not grabbing at his face and chest like he used to. He still has some redness, especially after a good long cheek-kissing session with his mamaw and papaw! The spots on his chest and stomach have almost completely resolved, leaving only one small round patch above his right nipple (which the doctor calls numeral eczema) that continues to shrink in diameter.

So that's basically Sam's world. He spends his days at daycare. He loves it! The lady who keeps him sends me an email every day at lunch time to let me know how his days are going. He loves to be around the other kids, and she says that they really engage him. He's always happy to see her when I drop him off in the mornings. I didn't think it would, but it really does get a little bit easier. I had a lot of guilt in the beginning. I felt like I was failing him somehow. I still deal with some issues, especially when I don't get to see him very much in the evenings. He goes to bed at about 7:00 in the evenings, and I usually get home around 5:30. That basically gives me time to feed him, play for a few minutes, then put him to bed. I try to savor every minute of it. I love to cuddle him and rock him before I put him down for the night. He makes the sweetest little sound as he's drifting off :o) I sing to him and he "aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh"'s and "aaaauuuuuggghhh"'s very softly until he drifts off. I try to commit those sounds to memory every chance that I get.

Work is going well. I have moved from clinical staff to front office staff. It's definitely made a big difference on my stress level. I don't worry as much as I used to. My hours are more predictable. When I was clinical, I wouldn't get home until 6:30 or 7 some nights. With a little one that goes to bed at 7:00, that just wasn't going to be an option. My employer was very understanding of that. It's defnintely a change of pace. Everyone asks me if I miss clinical staff, and truth be told, I do some days. I miss being "the nurse." It feels strange to call my old desk and hear someone else's voice on the other line. But I wouldn't trade the time I get to spend with my little boy for anything else.

Daniel and I are doing very well! We're adjusting to life day-by-day. The thing with babies is that life is just so unpredictable. He is going to be crawling any day now, and before we know it, walking. We try not to get too comfortable in a routine, because it's subject to change based on Sam's needs. We kind of like it that way though. It keeps us from getting into a rut! We try to keep a steady level of humor and calm. Life has become a lot different, that's for sure. We used to go to movies and out to dinner on the weekends. Now we have to plan 2 weeks in advance for a babysitter. We used to sleep in on Saturdays. Now we have a little alarm clock right across the hall. Instead of sitting on the couch and watching TV, we have to DVR everything and watch it after Sam's in bed asleep. We've come closer together spiritually and we've leaned on our faith more than ever to make us good parents. We rely on God to help us make decisions for him and to keep our marriage strong because we don't have as much time for one another. Couples without children tend to take things for granted, us included. We have learned to enjoy those times that it's just the two of us. We kiss a little more, hug a little longer, and we always make sure to try encourage one another. We made a vow to each other that we would not lose ourselves in parenthood. We are still individuals and we are still husband and wife. Mommy and daddy are our major roles now, but we can't forget!

So it's Sunday afternoon, and my little one is down for his nap with his grandma. I think I may go stretch out on the couch and catch a little cat nap myself. I'll try to update more often, and definitely post some recent pictures!